Expansion joint for well casings



W. N. THOMPSON EXPANSION JOINT FOR WELL CASINGS Feb. 3, 1925.

il!fllllllllllllllIIIIIIIIIIIII44 ,1814

Filed April 25, 1925 JlillIIIIIIIIIIAMI'IIIIA Patented Feb. 3, 1925.

UNITI-:D sTAfrEs g1,524,677 luiriila'r OFFICE.

WALTER N. THOMPSON, OF TUPMAN, CALIFORNIA.

EXPANSION JOINT FORFWELL vGASIIN'GrS.

l Appliatiim inea April 25, 1923. serial uo.c34,49.

prevent the casing from becomingorooked or broken.

' This joint is used, for example,'in long strings of casing in finishing upoil wells.

-The casing is hung from `a clamp 'at the topvof the well so as to lprevent the weight of substantially the entire string beingimposed upon the lower secti'ons'of the casing.

The joint lmay be placed, for example, in

the casing string, say 60 feet above the shoe of the water string of casing which *I is positioned above the oil strata.. lAfter 'the oil string of casing has been placed in the well, the oil string is full of water at a temperature of about 80 F. and, after the water hasbeen bailed out, the oil that flows into said Oil string is at a temperature of about 110 F. This great increase of temperature naturally causes considerable expansion in a string of well casing that may be from 3000 to4500 feet or more in length. lVhere an expansion joint such as* mine is not employed, when expansion occurs in the string of casing, the weight of the entire casing comes upon the lower sections thereof in the bottom of the well, because of the lower end of the casing thrusting against the bottom of the well so casing to become crooked and, in many in that the casing no. longer hangs from the clamp. The tremendous weight causes the stances, to break, such breakage causing the well to stop producing and necessitating redrilling. A

An objectv of this invention is to overi co-me the foregoing difficulties.

Another object is to provide a joint of comparatively simple construction.

' 'provisions of this invention in position between the adjacent sections of a; string of casing.n

.bottom of the well.

Fig. 2 is a ioiigiiiidinii 'section of Figure 1.

Fig. 3 is a plan section partl tion, from the line indicatedv ii Figure l.

Different sections'of a string of casing in secy 3"'3 are indicated at 4, 5 and said sections areconnected by' m improved joint which is constructed as ollows:

Atubular coupling 6 is provided with internal screw-threads 7 adapted to engage screwfthreads 8 on the lower end of the casing section 4. Screw-threaded into the lower end of the coupling isa tubular member 9 ofsubstantially the same inside diameter as the casing sections 4, 5. i

A sleeve surrounds the member 9- and is concentric therewith. and is provided near itsjupper end with an internal shoulder 10 adapted, when the sections 4, 5 are pulled away from one another to engage an eX- ternal shoulder 11 adjacent the lower end of the tubular member 9. These shoulders 10, .11 constitute one form of cooperating means to limit movement of the members 9, 14 Kfrom each other and they thus prevent complete separation of the joint, in 'event that it is desired to pullithecasing, and they also make it possible to'lowfer the casing with the joint in place. The shoulder 11, in this instance, is formed by the upper en'd vof a collar 12 screw-threaded Onto the .lower end ofthe member 9. j The shoulder 10 is formed, in 'this instance, by the lower end of a tubular member `13 which is screwthreaded into the' upper end of a pipe sec- .tion f4, said member 13 and section 14 together .constituting the sleeve hereinbefore referred to. The members 6, 13 cooperate to limit movement of the members 9, 14 toward each other, so that in the operation of hanging the casing in the well, the operator willknow when the casing strikes the The pipe section 14 has a portion of larger diameter that surrounds the member 9 and is'reduced at its lower end, as indicated at 15, so as to fit the casing section 5,'the reduced'end being screw-threaded. at 18 for screwing into'said casing section 5. By the vconstruction described, the cross sectional area of the column of liquid flowing through the casing is not reduced at the expansion joint.

From the fore oing it will be understood that the sleeve 13, 14 and the member 9 constitute concentric slidabljT connected tubular members adapted for connection to sections of well casing. The joint between the members 6, 13 preferably is formed by constructing the adjacent ends of said members with interengaging teeth 16, 1T which are constructed to prevent., such rotation of the member 13 as would tend to unscrew it from the member 14, but the teeth are so constructed that upon rotation of the casing section 4 in a direction to screw up the joints of the casing, the member 6 will not rotate relative to the member 13.

From the foregoing the construction and operation ofthe invention will be clear for, the joint will be screw-threaded to a casing section, suoli as that indicated at 5, and another section 4. of casing will be screwthreaded into the member 8', thus slidably connectingl said sections, the joint being placed in the string of casing at any 'desired point, so as to admit of vertical movement of the po Ntion of the string of casing below the expan ion joint relative to the portion ot' the string of casinof above said joint, as the casing expands under the conditions hereinbefore mentioned.

Then hanging the casing in the well, the operator will lower the casing' in the well hole until the members 6, 13 engage. He will then elevate the casing to expand the joint to substantially its full extent so that upon expansion, and consequent elongation, of the portion of the casing string below the ing that portion of the casing string above the joint.

I claim:

1. In an expansion joint for 'well casing, the combination of a toothed member adapt# ed for engagement with a section of well casing, a tubular member connected to the toothed member, and a sleeve surrounding the tubular member and having teeth to engage the teeth ofthe first member and adapted for connection with a second section of well casing. N Y.

2. In an expansion joint for well casing, the combination of a toothed member adapted for engagement with a section of well -casing, a tubular member connected to the4 toothed member and having an externa-l shoulder adjacent to its lower end, and a sleeve surrounding the tubular member and having teeth to engage the'teethof the lirst joint, said portion can elongate without lift-` member and adapted for connection 4with a second section ot well casing. there being an internal shoulder on the sleeveadapted to engage the external shoulder when the well casing sections are moved from each other. t

` 3, In an expansion joint for well casing, the Combinationof a tubular member, means to connect said tubular member to a section Vof well casing, a sleeve surrounding the tubular member and adapted for connection with a second section of well casing, cooperating means on the tubular member and sleeve to prevent separation thereof, and. means to prevent relativevturningof the sleeve and tubular membervonly in a direction to eect screwing together of the joints of well casing.

l. the combinationj ot' a tubular coupling member screw-threaded to engage a section of well casing. a tubular memberscrew-threaded into the coupling member. al sleeve sur-g rounding the second tubular member, a tubular member screw-threaded into the sleeve, the first and last tubular' members In an expansion joint for well casing,

being provided on their adjacent ends with interengaging` teeth permitting rotation of either member in one direction only, and a collar on the lower end of the second tubular member adapted to engage the last tubular member when the sections are moved from each other.

5. In an expansion joint for well casing, the combination of concentric slidably connected tubular members adapted for lconnection to sections of well casing, .cooperating means limiting movement ot' the members towardneach other and preventing relative rota-tion between said members onljv in a direction to effect screwing together of the joints of well casing, and cooperating means limiting movement ot the members from eachother.

6.,. In an expansion joint for well casing, the combination of concentricl slidably 'con- ,nected tubular members adapted for connection to sec-tions of well casing, and cooperat ing means -on said members to transmit a turning movement from one member to the other in one direction only.

Signed at Taft, Calif., this 3d day of Feb., 1923.

n WALTER N. THOMPSON. 

